


Get Me to the Church on Time

by Sgt_Pepperony94



Series: Love and Magic [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Multi, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-20 01:37:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7385722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sgt_Pepperony94/pseuds/Sgt_Pepperony94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Tony and Pepper's wedding, only the groom is missing, Steve and Wanda are going through a dry patch and there is no one to officiate the wedding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Get Me To The Church On Time  
> Author: Sgt.Pepperony  
> Fandom: Avengers (MCU)  
> Rating: T for language.  
> Pairings: Tony/Pepper  
> Secondary Pairings: Steve/Wanda, Clint/Laura, Darcy/Sam  
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, characters  
> So this is a rewrite of a previous fic ‘A Nice Day for a White Wedding’, which I may or may not delete. I’m just rewriting it to edit a subplot that I am not too pleased with.

Prologue

_Ms Virginia Potts_  
_ &_  
_Mr Anthony Edward Stark_  
_are delighted to invite you to celebrate their marriage_  
_on the 21 st September_  
_at 14:00._  
_Location: Central Park Boathouse_  
_Followed by dinner and dance._

* * *

 

For once, Steve Rogers was not woken up by the sound of a baby crying but a phone ringing. He imagined that Pepper was calling to ensure that he and Wanda were awake, even though the wedding was not due to start for seven hours.

He reached over his wife and picked his phone off the bedside table. Surprisingly, it was not Pepper, but Clint. He answered the phone half worried and half curious.

“Clint? What’s up?” he asked groggily.

_“Steve, we fucked up.”_

“Why? What happened?”

_“We can’t find Stark._

At the point, Steve sat up sharply, woke Wanda up and asked, “What do you mean you’ve lost Tony?”


	2. The Preparation

The Preparation 

"I swear by the end of the wedding I am going to be choked to death by this tie," Clint complained trying to loosen the collar on his shirt.

"I must say, pink kind of suits you," Natasha commented through the curtains of the dressing room. "In small doses though. I think if you turned up tomorrow in a pink suit, I think Pepper will actually murder you."

“Nat, don’t give him any ideas,” Laura warned as she tried to help her husband with his collar. “So, what exactly do you have planned for this bachelor party?”

“Nothing too brutal. I just thought bar crawl and get Stark to bed by eleven,” Clint answered.

“No strip clubs?” Natasha asked surprised.

“After Budapest, I would rather not.” Natasha smiled and opened the curtains and revealed the bridesmaids dress she was wearing: a simple pink with a flower on the waist. "Wow, you look… Pink."

“Thanks,” Natasha replied rolling her eyes at the compliment

“Clint, she looks beautiful,” Laura commented.

"Do I look hot even in the pink tie?" Clint asked.

"Like I said, it does not look awful on you in small quantities,” Natasha replied.

The second curtain opened and Bruce emerged pulling on his own collar in the same suit as Clint. "I am convinced that we are going to look like the band and not the groomsmen," he commented.

"Does that mean that the bridesmaids are some sort of female Motown group?" asked Natasha.

"Did not realise that you liked Motown," said Bruce.

"I don't mind it. I'm eclectic when it comes to music. I also may have spent three hours in the car listening to a combination of the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder thanks to Barton here."

"It's a great record company," Clint justified.

"How long do we have before this rehearsal dinner?" asked Bruce.

"Seven hours," Natasha answered checking her watch. "Speaking of which, I need to get out of this dress. I'm going to lunch with Pepper and her mother."

"Just you two?"

"No, Wanda and I are joining," Laura answered. “I’m basically there to make sure Pepper knows that nothing will go wrong.”

"Huh. Two bridesmaids and four groomsmen. This could be fun," Clint commented, only to receive a raised eyebrow from Natasha and Laura. "I was not suggesting we all have a six-way!"

"Just keep digging your hole there Clint," said Bruce.

-o-

"What are you doing?" Steve asked Pepper who was writing stuff down on a notepad.

"Writing all the stuff that could go potentially wrong tomorrow."

"Right…"

"So far I have nuclear apocalypse, cyanide poisoning in the wine and I don't end up with something blue."

"Isn't the something blue my job?" asked Wanda as she put the coffees down.

"Like I said, this is all I have so far."

"Well, I do have your something blue so you can cross it off the list."

"You still think the first two will happen?"

"It would be a very awful coincidence if they both happened on your wedding day," Steve answered.

"I meant they would be mutually exclusive events."

“Of course.”

“Maybe she has a point,” Wanda commented. “The church we were going to get married in caught fire the night before our wedding.”

“See,” Pepper added.

Steve rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee.

-o-

"Tony, what the hell are you doing?" Rhodey asked walking into the workshop where Tony was hunched over a desk.

"Working on something."

"Are you seriously doing this now? You are going to get oil all over yourself."

"It'll wash off."

"Right." Rhodey grabbed Tony from under his arms and tried to pull him away from the workbench.

"Hey, what have I said about touching?"

"Nothing, you don't like being handed stuff by anyone other than Pepper."

"Oh right. Can you at least let me go?"

Rhodey let Tony go and asked, "Do you think you would cope with me handing you the wedding ring tomorrow?"

"Yes, I will cope."

"Good, because I will not have time for your strange quirks tomorrow of all days; are we clear?"

"Yes."

"Right, get out of this lab and JARVIS, lock the doors once we have left."

_"Certainly Colonel Rhodes."_

"I am not sure whose side you are on J," Tony commented. At that moment Dum-E bumped into him. "At least Dum-E is on my side."

_"No offence sir, but I do recall you would donate Dum-E to a city college if he doused you again with a fire extinguisher and you were not on fire."_

Rhodey looked confused.

“It’s a long story.”


	3. The Rehearsal Dinner

The Rehearsal Dinner

"Are we ready to go?" Pepper asked coming out of the walk-in wardrobe.

"No. I appear to have lost a cufflink," Tony replied.

"Which pair?"

"The silver-plated Iron Man face plate."

"Oh, what a shame," Pepper commented sarcastically. "Just wear the normal silver cufflinks. It's a wedding rehearsal, not an Expo."

"I suppose, but I need to find them by tomorrow."

Pepper rolled her eyes and shook her head when Tony was not looking, "To think by this time tomorrow, we'll be married."

"Well, I am supposed to be buying dinner for a load of people tomorrow, so I am not entirely sure if I can make it." Pepper raised her eyebrow. "I'm joking. Of course I am coming to our own wedding."

"Please don't joke about things like that. Especially not this close to the wedding."

"I cannot help but feel as though there should be an 'or else' on the end of that sentence."

"I'm still thinking about what the 'or else' will be."

"And this is the bit where I start worrying."

"Look, as long as you are standing in front of the register, standing beside James and looking presentable tomorrow at 14:00, you have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, not really helping Pep. More than likely it is going to involve Romanoff."

"Hmmm… Tempting." Tony was the one to raise his eyebrow this time. "Okay, I've had my fun now."

-o-

"For goodness sake Clint, stop eating all the prawns. We have to eat in half an hour," Laura chastised when Clint grabbed his ninth prawn of the night.

"They taste good though, and considering all the food I am going to be eating for the next thirty-six hours is going to be on Stark, I may as well eat it." Wanda in the meantime was making dreamy-eyes at Steve, eying up the tight trousers Steve was wearing which defined her husband’s glutes. "Um, Wanda, I know you and Rogers are married but it would be nice if you could pay attention."

“Sorry,” she muttered as she sipped her champagne.

“What’s up with you?” Natasha asked. 

"Would you believe me if I said that Steve and I were going through a dry patch? Sexually speaking."

Natasha ushered Clint away so they could have some girl talk. "Probably not, seeing as you two could do laundry and still make time to have sex."

"Not exactly been like that since I had the twins. We have had sex about nine times in six months. With the fact that Steve is doing overtime to compensate, looking after teething infants is tiring and I barely get five minutes to myself these days that do not involve sleeping, sex is kind of been an afterthought. Does that make me a bad mother?"

"No. You're just a woman with needs, the same as any sexually active woman.”

In the meantime, Jane and Bruce were sitting at their table, having a conversation about their latest research projects when Bucky came and sat down next to them.

"What's up?" Bruce asked.

"This collar is making me uncomfortable. I am not entirely sure why I am in this wedding. Stark and I are not exactly friends,” Bucky replied.

"Well, they thought it would be nice to include everyone in the wedding,” Jane attempted to explain. "It’s not as though Pepper dislikes you and you’re all a team at the end of the day.”

“Exactly,” Bruce added. “Think of it this way, you don’t have to stand at the front wearing bright pink. Anyway, the guys are going out for drinks after the dinner is over if you want to come. Nothing extreme, just a couple of drinks and cabs at eleven.”

“Steve mentioned it. Sure. Why not.”

At that moment, a woman came up and asked, "Hi is anyone sitting here?"

“No,” Bucky answered as he pulled the seat out for the woman.

“Thank you. I’m Lizzie, Virginia’s cousin.”

“I’m… James.” Bucky cringed inwardly. It had been an eternity since he had flirted with a woman and he was no a hundred percent sure of how he used to seduce the dames. He really had morphed into pre-serum Steve. “This is Dr Banner. He's in the wedding party as a groomsman.”

"Oh right. Doctor of what?"

"Biochem and nuclear physics."

"Cool, I'm just finishing my PhD in Biochem. By the way, are you Jane Foster the astrophysicist?”

“Yes,” Jane confirmed. Before they could discuss anything further, Rhodey clinked his glass so that he could get everyone's attention.

"Hey. So I'm Colonel James Rhodes for those who do not know me. Rhodey to those who do. And I am the best man at tomorrow's wedding. Just so you know, this is not the actual speech. That will be much more revealing."

" _Oh crap_ ," Tony thought.

"I'm just going to say here just thank you for coming to the rehearsal dinner and to the wedding, even if you are just getting some expensive free food out of it. This is quite special wedding for me. I've known Tony Stark since we were kids, and yes he was a pain in ass. Biggest pain I have ever known. However, I think that Pepper has hand in making him the man he is today: still a pain in the ass but less so than he was ten years ago. Which is why I think they are perfect for each other… and I will leave the rest until tomorrow. Enjoy your meal."

-o-

“You really are not going to reveal everything in your speech are you?” Tony asked as he sipped his scotch.

“I’m not saying anything,” Rhodey replied. “Mind you, there will be no mention of the stupid shit you’ve done. Mostly because everyone already knows the stupid shit.” 

Everyone let out a small chuckle, even Tony. “I just want to say that having you guys here is pretty awesome.” 

“Well, were not going to miss this event,” Clint commented. 

“Better late than never,” Bruce added.

Tony rolled his eyes and raised his glass. “Well, since we’re here: to Pepper, my ever patient bride and may this night lead me to her safely.”

“Let’s cheer to that,” Steve exclaimed clinking the glass.


	4. The Search

The Search

For once, Steve Rogers was not woken up by the sound of a baby crying but a phone ringing. He imagined that Pepper was calling to ensure that he and Wanda were awake, even though the wedding was not due to start for seven hours.

He reached over his wife and picked his phone off the bedside table. Surprisingly, it was not Pepper, but Clint. He answered the phone half worried and half curious.

“Clint? What’s up?” he asked groggily.

_“Steve, we fucked up.”_

“Why? What happened?”

_“We can’t find Stark._

At the point, Steve sat up sharply, woke Wanda up and asked, “What do you mean you’ve lost Tony?”

_“After you left, we may have took some tequila shots, and honestly I can’t remember a damn thing. Somehow I am in my hotel room and Laura looks as though she is going to kill me.”_

“Steve what is going on?” Wanda asked.

Steve put his hand over the microphone and answered, “They got completely wrecked and lost Tony.”

“Give me the phone.” Steve handed the phone over and covered his ears. “HOW COULD YOU LOSE HIM? I THOUGHT YOU WERE HAVING A FEW DRINKS!”

_“I think there may have been some Jäger involved. My vomit looked a bit black.”_

_“What are we going to do now Clint?”_ Laura asked.

Wanda put the phone on speaker so Steve could listen and speak. At that point, Bucky came in confused by the shouting.

_“I don’t know what we’re going to do.”_

“Right, this is what we’re going to do. Wanda and Laura will keep Pepper distracted while we go and look for Tony,” Steve explained. “We clear?”

_“Yes Cap.”_

“Okay, grab Rhodes, Banner, Thor and Sam. We all need to get a picture of what exactly happened after Bucky and I left.”

-o-

“You look rough,” Natasha commented as Bruce and Rhodey sat sown for breakfast. “I thought you were going to take it easy last night.”

“We were,” Bruce answered. “Then we were given free shots.”

“That explains the green vomit,” Rhodey added as he took a sip of his juice. “God knows what Tony is going to be like.”

“Guys, we have a problem,” Clint whispered as he walked up to the table. “What did we do last night?”

“I don’t know,” Bruce answered. “I blacked out after the third tequila.”

“So you don’t remember what happened to Stark?”

“Clint,” Natasha began, “what have you done?”

“We can’t find Stark.”

“What?”

“Please don’t yell. Laura and Wanda have already done that.”

“How do you expect me not to yell when you’ve lost the groom?”

“I already told him Nat,” Laura replied.

Natasha looked at Bruce and Rhodey and shook her head. “You’re kidding me. Rhodes you’re the best man.”

“Yep. Not helping,” Rhodey replied.

Steve then came into the restaurant with Wanda and Bucky. He asked,” Okay, what was the last thing you three remember?”

“I remember you two leaving,” Bruce answered. “Then we moved to this bar where they gave us free shots. After that my mind goes blank.”

“Where is Sam?” Wanda asked. Bruce and Rhodey looked at one another, hoping at least one of them knew the answer. ““You’re kidding me.”

“I wish we weren’t.”

“Okay, relax. What is Wilson is with Tony?” Rhodey asked.

“That’s a good point,” Steve said taking his phone out to call Sam, only it went straight to voicemail. “His battery is probably dead, and Tony’s might be as well.”

"Damn it, what now? The wedding is in six and a half hours," Clint said.

"The only thing we can do is try to find him. How long until Pepper needs to get ready?" asked Steve.

"About three and a half hours," answered Wanda.

"Give us four and a half. I'm going with the guys to help find them. Wanda, can you try to stall Pepper as long as you can?"

"I can try but I am not sure how I am going to do it."

“Distract her with your own problems,” Natasha replied standing up. “I’m going with the guys.”

-o-

“Okay so after Bucky and I left, you guys went to this bar?” Steve asked as everyone tried to retrace the steps taken the previous night.

“Yes. I remember that sign,” Clint answered.

“Then what?” Natasha asked.

“That’s it. I remember being given tequila and that is where my mind goes blank.”

“Maybe the bartenders can give us an idea what happened,” Bruce said as he went through the open door.

“Good idea.”

Once inside, Rhodey’s memory seemed to be a little clearer but not enough. At the bar, he asked, “Excuse me.”

The bartender turned around and his eyes widened at the sight of the three dishevelled men. “Jesus, you three. Where are the other two?”

“That’s what we were going to ask you,” Natasha replied. “Do you know what happened last night?”

“They got completely smashed and then one of started babbling about going on a ride.”

“Going on a ride?” Bucky asked.

“I don’t know what that means. I was hoping that it meant they were going to get a cab.”

“Damn it,” Clint muttered. “Why did you give us shots on the house?”

“It was a bachelor party.”

“So, all we have is something about a ride,” Steve told himself. “That could mean anything.”

“You know, I remember horses,” Bruce said.

“Horses?” Natasha asked.

“I think I know where they are,” Bucky announced.

-o-

Back at the hotel, Wanda was struggling with ways to stall Pepper. She had informed Jane, Darcy and Thor of the situation and Darcy was fuming that they not only lost the groom but her husband. However, Pepper really needed to start getting ready soon or else she was going to get an inkling that something was wrong. The fact that Natasha, the maid of honour, was not there was a sign that something was up.

“She has been freaking out that something will go wrong," Wanda commented.

"We could just say that the rings have gone missing." Jane suggested. "Or an aunt has gone missing.”

"The latter does seem more likely," said Wanda. "The alternative is that we tell her the truth."

"Something is telling me that is a bad idea. Especially since this is probably the worst thing that could happen."

"On a list that included nuclear apocalypse?"

"Okay, the worst thing that could realistically happen."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Pepper coming out the bathroom.

“Nothing. I was just talking about the twins,” Wanda replied. “This is the first time we’ve left them with a babysitter, and I feel a bit guilty because they’re teething.”

“Did you at least leave instructions and say you would call?”

“Obviously.”

“They are going to be okay. Now, shall we do my hair or makeup first?”

“I would say hair. It takes longer,” Jane offered with a wink to Wanda.

“By the way, where is Natasha?”

“She’s just checking that downstairs is okay,” Wanda lied. “Okay, let’s start with the hair.”

-o-

“You absolutely certain that it is Coney Island Buck?” Steve asked as they drove down FDR Drive.

“I can’t think of many other places that have flashing lights and rides,” Bucky replied.

“What they hell were we doing in Coney Island?” Bruce asked.

“I think I remember Tony vaguely saying that he wanted to go,” Rhodey replied. “Jesus how drunk were we?”

“Why would he want to go to Coney Island in the first place?” Natasha asked.

When Tony was small, his parents took him to Coney Island for the day. It was probably the only time he would have considered his father to be a good parent.”

Soon they arrived at the theme parks. It was not quite opened yet, but the security let them through when they explained the situation, even offering to help.

“TONY!” Rhodey called.

“SAM!” Steve shouted. When they reached the Wonder Wheel, they heard yelling coming from one of the cars. Steve looked up and saw Sam waving his arms. “Hold on, we’re going to get you down.”

The guard started the ride and soon Sam was back at ground level and looking very confused. He asked, “Did we sleep here last night?”

“It looks like it was just you and Tony.”

“Jesus, how drunk were we? Darcy is probably freaking out.”

“Here, have my phone call her and tell her we just need to find Tony and we’ll be back in less than an hour.”

Bucky was right by the cyclone, vaguely remembering the incident that Steve threw up, when saw a hand hanging out the train. “Hey! I think I have found him!”

Rhodey ran straight for the ride and helped Bucky get Tony out the train and sit him on the ground as he groaned awake. “What the hell?” he grumbled.

“Tony, are you okay?” Steve asked running up the rest of the group.

“Apart from a throbbing in my head, not too bad. Why the hell am I in Coney Island?”

“We’ll explain later. Right now, we need to get to the boathouse.”

“Shit the wedding. Does Pepper know?”

“No. Wanda is trying to stall,” Natasha explained helping him up. “You gave us a right scare there Stark.”


	5. The Arrival

The Arrival

_“We have Stark and we are driving through Brooklyn right now,"_ Natasha told Wanda over the phone.

"How long will you be?" Wanda asked.

_"I don't know, but I think you can stop stalling now."_

"Great, because I was really close to pouring perfume onto your dress."

_"Why mine?"_

"You got maid of honour."

Wanda breathed a sigh of relief as she hung up the phone. At least they arrive with enough time to get ready. Speaking of which, she thought it best to start getting ready herself. She made a quick comparison with her own wedding and probably found both weddings as chaotic as one another.

-o-

Later, once Bruce, Clint and Steve had changed into their groomsmen suits, they went down to the lobby to guide the guests to the wedding room, only Rhodey came down looking very concerned. "Okay, I think we have a problem."

"Define problem," Bruce replied.

“The officiator's had a car accident this morning and he's in hospital with whiplash.”

"You have to be kidding, the wedding is in an hour and a half,” Steve responded.

"Surely there has to be another wedding at the boathouse," said Clint.

"If not then what are we going to do?" Rhodey asked. “Two things to go wrong today. Why can’t anything be simple?”

“I think I might have an idea,” Clint announced. “One of us can get ordained. It is a lot quicker than trying to get an officiator at the last minute."

“What?” Bruce asked as though Clint had lost his mind.

“Well, it can’t be any of us,” Steve replied. “Look, I’m going to check if Pepper, Nat and Wanda are ready.”

“I should check if Tony is okay,” Rhodey said and the two left.

Bruce and Clint looked to one another wondering who should officiate the wedding. Just at that moment, Clint saw Thor talking to one of the other guests. He grinned.

"Thor, I have a proposition for you."

-o-

"Hey, is anyone decent in there?" asked Steve through the door.

"Yes," Natasha called back. Steve opened the door, finding Jane, Wanda and Natasha dressed in light pink dresses. “What do you think?”

"Wow, you both look beautiful."

"Tongue away Rogers or else your wife is going to get jealous," said Natasha.

Wanda smiled and went over to Steve to give in a kiss on the lips. “You look pretty handsome yourself. Pink kind of suits you.”

“Well, with Mila around, I’m kind of use to having pink all over me.”

Wanda whispered, “I booked a hotel room during the reception.”

“You did?”

“Well, it’s probably going to be the only alone time we’re going to get. I think we should take advantage of that.” Steve smiled and pressed a kiss on her lips.

"Pepper, are you ready, we have to leave," Natasha called to the ensuite.

"I'll be out in a moment." A few moments later, Pepper revealed her no-sleeved dress, white obviously, with a lace overlay covering the fabric underneath. "What do you think?"

"Wow. You look amazing," said Wanda replied now having seen all the pieces of the hair, makeup and the dress put together.

"Are you sure it is not too much?"

"No. It's just perfect," Natasha replied. “Okay, so Wanda has your something borrowed and blue. Your something old is this.” Natasha presented a broach with a ruby in the middle. “Tony said this was his mother’s and she said to him to give it to whoever his bride should be, if he ever married.”

“Oh my god, it’s beautiful,” Pepper exclaimed as she put the pin on one of the straps.

“And my something new was this barrette with this rose quartz flower on.”

Wanda went into her bag and pulled out a white gold bracelet. “I wore this at my wedding so I am lending it to you. As for your something blue, I thought about it and clearly you were going for somewhat traditional: it's a garter.”

"Oh god, we have to do the garter toss don't we?" Steve said placing his hands in his face.

"You don't," Wanda answered. "You are already married, there is no point."

"So I take it you are out of the bouquet throwing?" asked Natasha.

"Don't be ridiculous.”

-o-

"Where the hell is Thor?" asked Tony.

"He… he is checking the venue over," Bruce lied.

"Fine, I will give him this gift thing that Pepper made me get you guys later."

"Gift thing?"

"Tradition," Clint answered shrugging his shoulders.

"What he said," Tony added lazily. "I could not think of anything inspiring so I just got some fob watches."

"Because we are all Italian mobsters from 1920s New York. I did not realise my name Dandy Dan."

"Really, Bugsy Malone?" asked Bruce.

"It is the only thing I could think of."

"Not Godfather?" asked Tony.

"Can we just get on with it because I feel as though my brain is going to explode more than it already is?" asked Bruce.

“Are you sure that is not just the hangover?” Tony asked.

“You can talk. Anyway, we should start to go into the registrar office now.”

“Good idea.”

Once inside the office, Tony noticed something was up. "Where is the officiator?"

"I don't know. I have not heard anything to suggest something has gone wrong."

"Are we just taking the no news is good news thing? Probably not the best idea seeing as Pepper is walking up the aisle in five minutes." At that moment, Thor appeared in front of the two. "Thor, buddy, you are meant to be guiding the guests in."

"I am officiating the wedding."

"I beg your pardon."

"The original officiator has been injured, so Banner suggested that I… I take it you are not pleased."

"I think this was the last thing he was expected," Rhodey replied.

"You do know you have to be registered to do this."

"You can do it online."

"I think that is ordained but same difference," said Rhodey trying not to laugh. "You are now looking at Father Thor. Also, he is a god so it is almost perfect."

"Oh dear Lord…" Tony muttered. "Do you at least know how human weddings work?"

"Usually when the officiator asks if there is any lawful impediment preventing the union, the groom's wife turns up with a marriage certificate."

"I think you need to stop watching daytime television. Not everything on Days of Our Lives is true."

"How would you know?" asked Rhodey. From the back of the room, Clint gave a signal that said that the bride's party were ready. "Are you ready?"

"Just please tell me Pepper does not look pissed that Thor is marrying us."


	6. The Ceremony

The Ceremony

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union between Anthony and Pep - Virginia," Thor began. Needless to say, this was the last thing Pepper expected. Tony could only smile uncomfortably. Natasha saw the funny side, while everyone else that was not Clint or Bruce were confused.

"Before we begin, is there anyone here who does not think this marriage should go ahead?" There was some minor gulping from Tony and it did seem like the longest pause ever before Thor spoke again, "I'm not entirely sure how long this pause should be but that seems to be enough." Jane closed her eyes and shook her head while Darcy and Wanda were trying to stop themselves from laughing. Steve whispered something about vows and Thor continued, “Okay, we shall move onto the vows that Virginia and Anthony have prepared themselves. Virginia, would you like to go first?"

"Okay… Um… Not that I ever believed in soul mates, but sometimes I do feel as though I have found my soul mate in you Tony. Not because we have everything in common, more because we make each other better in some ways. And now here we are with our future before us and I only want to spend it with you, my soulmate, and my friend. I, Virginia, take you, Anthony, to be my husband to share both good times and bad times, side by side. I give you my hand, and my heart, and hope that my love will always be a safe haven for you. Just as this circle is without end, my love for you is eternal. Just as it is made of a permanent metal, my commitment to you is forever."

"Anthony?"

"Okay, where do I begin? I thought this was going to be the most difficult thing I ever had to do, because everything else was not difficult enough. However, when I saw you walking down that aisle, I realized how simple it was. I love you. You are the person I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. I, Anthony, take you, Virginia, to be my wife to share both good times and bad times, side by side. I give you my hand, and my heart, and hope that my love will always be a safe haven for you. Just as this circle is without end, my love for you is eternal. Just as it is made of a permanent metal, my commitment to you is forever."

"Okay… the rings. Who has the rings?" Thor asked.

"Me," said Rhodey handing them to Thor.

"Okay, Anthony repeat after me: with this ring, I pledge thee my devotion, until death do us part."

"With this ring, I pledge thee my devotion, until death do us part."

"Virginia, repeat after me: with this ring, I pledge thee my devotion, until death do us part."

"With this ring, I pledge thee my devotion, until death do us part."

"And, by the powers vested in me and the state of New York, I am pleased to pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Among the clapping from the guests, Tony and Pepper shared their first kiss as husband and wife.


	7. The Speeches

The Speeches

Once the photos were taken, it was time to serve the dinner. When they had gotten to the main of Herb Crusted Cannon of Lamb, Rhodey had gotten up to prepare for the speeches.

"Okay everyone. Listen up. No I am not taking the speech right now, you have to listen to this soppy lot first. Okay, first up is the man who has given our Pepper away in the absence of her father. May I introduce Commander Steven Rogers."

Rhodey sat down as everyone applauded Steve standing up, "Okay, I am not the greatest at giving speeches. Today I know what I want to say. When Pepper asked me to give her away, I honestly was honoured, mainly because Pepper is an amazing woman who I hope, along with my own wife Wanda, and my friends, my daughter aspires to be when she is older. When I first met Tony, I think we would both agree that it took a while for us to… get on. It's surprising what some situations can does to make people bond."

"I'm not entirely sure an alien invasion sounds like the most appropriate place for bonding," Tony commented.

"I sort of meant that game you made us play that got you extremely drunk," Steve added. "Anyway, I cannot really say much else other than that I wish them all the luck and happiness in the world. To Pepper and Tony." Everyone raised their glasses of champagne. "Okay, moving on. We now have the man of the hour: Tony do you want to start?"

"Oh right. Um… I thought I had said everything I could in the vows, but I think there might be some more things that I could have said in the ceremony but the person who was supposed to be officiating the wedding told us to keep it short for some reason. Anyway, the first people I would like to thank are the bridesmaids, most notably our dear friend Natasha Romanoff who was chosen to be Pep's maid of honour. You ladies look splendid, and I am certain you did an excellent job help. I would also like to thank my own party for their continued support throughout this engagement, my best man Rhodey especially today. Most of all, I would like to thank Pepper, for agreeing to even marry me in the first place. I think we can both agree it was not the proposal I was planning but it turns out I did not need to plan what I was going to say in the first place; and I still stand by what I say: all that really mattered was that you make me happy, when I never thought I could be happy in a committed relationship. You make me happier than I thought I could ever be. I love you Pep, more than I can possibly say. Right, now we move onto the speech that we are all looking forward to: my best man Rhodey."

Once Tony had sat down, Rhodey got up with at least three sheets of paper. Everyone was curious about what sort of story could take up such length, especially since it was back and front.

"Right, so when these two became a couple, they looked like two seals trying to pass a grape between their tongues. I think today we can agree that nothing has changed. For those who might not know, I'm James Rhodes, the guy Tony selected to be his best man. Which makes sense, considering that it's been that way since the day we met. Loyal, caring, sincere, honest, a great, great man but that's enough about me though, I'm here to give a speech about Tony!

"Of course, the biggest responsibility for anyone in my position is the speech itself. As I've known Tony for such a long time, there's a time honoured tradition of dragging up embarrassing stories from his past. I must say if that's what you're looking for that today I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. The truth is, I've stood side by side with him for many years now, through thick and thin. And in all that time, I've never seen anything but a man of integrity, honour, and impeccable good character. In addition I was usually with him, up to my neck in it so I think it's best to leave a lot of those memories well alone!

"I thought therefore that I would concentrate on trying to understand why someone has honourable and beautiful as Pepper would marry Tony? You'll be pleased to know that I'll add a sprinkle of character assassination for good measure. So what is so special about him? I'd like to share with you my thoughts.

"One reason to marry Tony is that he is exceptionally skilled; Tony can offend anyone on any topic at any time. People know this and steer clear of him at parties. Often, as a sign of respect, they don't even invite him anymore. Now Tony isn't known for his tact, but did you know it's possible to tell when Tony has offended someone - his lips will have moved.

"Another reason to marry Tony, he's a good looking guy. Unfortunately with Tony's obvious good looks comes a certain degree of vanity and when he was learning to drive, he particularly struggled with the Mirror Signal Manoeuvre thing. With him it was ‘Mirror, Signal, Mirror, Manoeuvre and Mirror’ again.

"He's hardworking and dedicated to the world of work. Tony has always given a hundred percent to every role. He started out as a loud mouthed, socially inept teenager. But even in that lowly role, he achieved a level of excellence. He was the most loud mouthed, most socially inept, adult you could ever imagine, and he's gone on to excel in those qualities ever since.

"Pepper, you're very lucky to have Tony as your partner in crime. Not only does he fight for his own goals, but I know he'll always put his best into making you happy and into achieving your shared goals.

"And Tony, you're very lucky to have someone who can dish back that trash talk and get as competitive as you during a game of Who Can Sass the Hardest. The answer turned out to be Steve Rogers if anyone wanted to know. Pepper is great at nursing your ego after it's been brutalized during another failed hobby. In all seriousness, you two make a great team. Your commitment to each other and determination to get the most out of life is an inspiration to us all.

"Ladies and gentleman, please join me in wishing Tony and Pepper every happiness life has to hold. To the seals."


	8. The Reception

The Reception

Wanda could not help but smile as she watched Pepper and Tony take their first dance. It had been a long time coming and she was rather impressed that, in spite of the hick up with losing Tony and the officiator, the ceremony had gone smoothly all things considered. Steve had took her and looked at her as though he was asking if he wanted to dance. Wanda smiled and nodded.

Once on the dancefloor, Steve commented, “You know the last time we did this we had the twins between us."

"Hmm, feels weird not having Milena and James here. Granted it was quite nice to have a night without getting up at three in the morning."

“We still have that room booked. We could just slip out for about fifteen minutes.”

"Am I expecting too much of you Captain?" Steve did not even answer. He just took her hand and pulled her away from the dancefloor.

In the meantime, Natasha was sipping her champagne by the bar when Bruce came up to speak to her. 

“What a day huh?” he commented. 

Natasha chuckled slightly, “I’m just glad that we got Stark back in one piece. Speaking of which, how is the hangover?”

“I’ve had worse come downs from de-Hulking. Though it is really making not want to drink anything.” 

“Well, I’ve had about three of these, and believe it or not I am not a big drinker.” 

“I know. It’s rare I see you with beer let alone champagne.” 

“Well, I can see Clint is using hair of the dog as a solution to his hangover.”

“Did you expect him to do something else?” 

“So are you going to be catching the bouquet later?” 

“Nah. It’s just a silly tradition. You catching the garter?” 

“Oh god no. That is even more ridiculous than the bouquet toss.” 

Across the room, Bucky was at a loss as to whether he should ask Lizzie to dance. This used to be easy for him, but seventy years of his memories being wiped had rendered his flirting abilities stale. As well, times had changed and what was acceptable flirting then would more than likely not be tolerated now. Now he really felt like Steve. How the times had changed. 

“Dude, just ask her if she wants to dance. It’s not hard,” Sam said. “You don’t have to overcomplicate it.” 

“Easy for you to say. The last time I flirted with a woman was 1945.” 

“Hasn’t stopped Steve.”

Bucky took a deep breath and walked over to Lizzie. He gently tapped her on the shoulder and asked, “Sorry, um, would you like to dance?”

Lizzie smiled and nodded. Bucky breathed a sigh of relief and took her hand.

On the dancefloor, Pepper asked Tony the big question of the day, “So, what did you and guys get up to last night?”

“Nothing much,” Tony lied. “Just a couple drinks in a bar.”

“Really, I thought you would all go on a blow out.”

“Well, they did. Rogers, Barnes and I retired for the night.”

“I thought you would have at least gone to a strip club?”

“Do you actually think so little of me?”

“No. I just think it was something you would do.”

"Is this really the way we are going to start the marriage? Bickering about my former life choices?"

"Well, we did always act like an old married couple."

"Hey less of the old…"

The End


End file.
